Star Wars Episode 8: Is this where we'll next see Luke Skywalker and Rey?

Last year location scouts from Lucasfilm visited Malin Head, Ireland’s most northerly point, and the surrounding areas as they looked for a suitable backdrop for filming Star Wars Episode VIII.

And it is now understood that cast and crew will arrive in May and shoot for around a month.

Episode VII: The Force Awakens, now the world’s highest grossing movie, ended with Luke Skywalker and new character Rey meeting for the first time in a scene shot at the Skellig Michael, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Co Kerry.

The first scenes of Episode VIII are now being filmed there.

The impact on tourism in the area could be huge.

Joan Crawford of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way told the Donegal Democrat, “All we have to do is look at what the “Game of Thrones” has done for Belfast and even in much earlier days “Ryan’s Daughter” firmly established the Dingle Peninsula has one of the top destinations in the country.”

The next film of the series will be released in December of next year.